Governing body reserves comment until case works through courts

Hey there, time traveller!This article was published 18/4/2013 (1330 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

THE Manitoba Soccer Association will not comment on the case or on the argument of implied consent while it is before the courts, executive director Héctor Vergara said Thursday.

"We will wait until the courts deal with it and then consider a reply. We would like to see what they present to support their statement," Vergara said.

A referee has three options for imposing discipline on a player during a match.

The first is calling a foul and awarding the aggrieved team a free kick from the point of the foul.

The next level is showing the guilty player a yellow card and awarding the opponent a free kick. A player receiving a yellow card does not have to leave the match, unless he or she receives a second yellow card in the same match -- then he or she is ejected, and the team plays a player short the rest of the match.

The most serious level of discipline is a red card. That player must leave the match, and his or her team will play a player short the rest of the match. The player may be subject to further sanctions, such as a suspension.

FIFA -- the international body governing global soccer -- lists in Law 12 of its Laws of the Game that kicking an opponent or holding an opponent are both fouls.

The discipline imposed then depends on whether the referee judges the incident to be careless, reckless, or using excessive force.

Here's what the rules used everywhere in the world say:

-- 'Careless' means the player has shown a lack of attention or consideration when making a challenge or he acted without precaution. No further disciplinary sanction is needed if a foul is judged to be careless

-- 'Reckless' means the player has acted with complete disregard to the danger to, or consequences for, his opponent. A player who plays in a reckless manner must be cautioned (yellow card)

-- 'Using excessive force' means the player has far exceeded the necessary use of force and is in danger of injuring his opponent. A player who uses excessive force must be sent off (red card).